Bridal show recap!

Hello!

Well – I have to say ‘Wow’ about this past weekend’s bridal show!!!!  What a fabulous, fabulous turn out- so excited to see all the brides, grooms, bridesmaids, moms (and some dads) and friends!!!  The vendors present were so wonderful- everyone went all out for their booths…and it is always great to see fellow wedding vendors that we just don’t get to spend a lot of time with during an event

We enjoyed talking to all those that stopped by Sunday – we look forward to a wonderful year of planning amazing events.

I have attaching a few shots if you were not able to make it on Sunday- so you get a little glimpse of how we work at times…below is how I start out and then the photos show how we bring it to life!!!

Many special thanks to Think Floral for the lovely floral designs, Tony Sharpe (Aspire 4 More) for the pipe, drape and lighting, Clark and Becki Berry for the gorgeous red chairs, Parties to Go, Carol Sturkie for the oh so beautiful and delicious cake, Palmetto Party Rental for the lovely dance floor, chairs and tables and BBJ Linen, thank you Judy for bringing exquisite color to our day!

And a very special thank you to the team that made it happen- Harriet, Jill, Courtaney and Barbara, thank you so much for your hard work and dedication…and thank you Keith for your energy and strength and the most important thank you to my loving, wonderful husband Darren that supports me each and every day as my business partner and partner for life!  I love you all!

For better and ‘mo’ better!!!

We had the BEST time with this couple and their guests!!!!  Alison and David are a fabulous couple- they brought such beautiful details  and traditions from two lovely families. 

The couple had a very moving ceremony upstairs in the Gallery at 701 Whaley - it was gorgeous under the custom-made chuppah carried in by the couples bridal party.  The bride was a vision of loveliness as she was escorted down the aisle by her parents, to a groom that could not stop smiling….

The couple was married by the groom’s father- the ceremony was so personal and touching- with a few ‘light’ moments as in our title of this post…when Tom (groom’s father) went through vows, “For better and ‘mo’ better” was one line that got a giggle out of everyone- there is personal meaning behind this moment that the couple shared!

The reception was downstairs at 701 Whaley in the main room!  Anna Cline Catering put together a gorgeous display of amazing food.  All of it was fabulous but the ‘piece de resistance’ was the “wedding cake” the couple selected.  Anna hand-made the of so beautiful croque-em-bouche.

All the guests had a blast dancing to the Dick Goodwin Band.  Photographer Sandy Andrews captured all the moments and Rosewood Florist created the beautiful bouquets.

By Invitation Only….created the branch centerpieces with berry filled vases.

Below are candid photos:

We placed string lights behind the band to add a little texture.

The fabulous Croque-em-bouche!!!

This is the most amazing fruit display!

The groom specifically wanted the wedding cookies from a favorite bakery in New York – so here we are!

The couple’s Ketubah

I grabbed on shot as Alison went down the aisle!

Oh so romantic!!

Love is in bloom at this ‘garden’ wedding!

This wedding was so touching and moving!    When mother of the bride, Barbara, came to me and said she needed help pulling together and designing what she wanted to be her daughter’s most memorable day- I was ready for the challenge.  Libby and Barbara knew exactly what they wanted- a ‘garden wedding’ that would take place in November…and inside

The couple married at St. Davids Episcopal Church and the reception was held in the fellowship hall.  Barbara was concerned about making the hall have a ‘wedding feel’ and specifically a garden.  We began designing with them and transformed the hall to exactly what they had wanted!!  We came up with some fun and unique ideas that everyone seem to enjoy but were also very functional!

The gorgeous floral arrangements were created by American Floral.  John Wrightenberry did the photography- can not wait to see pictures

Tony Signarino of PartyTime DJ kept them dancing all evening!  Cake was by Pastry Place.

The absolutely amazing catering was by Gourmet 2 Go!!!!  They not only had fabulous food but their presentation was gorgeous and perfect for the setting.

Here is one shot down the aisle- the runner was actually from the personal collection of the brides’ father- he has a fabulous rug collection and this was a beautiful and touching addition.

Scott at American Floral came up with the beautiful arrangement that was place in this family heirloom- the stein belonged to the bride’s great-grandmother (or maybe even older than that) but it has the family crest and all on it.

So we did some before and after shots- this is the fellowship hall…angle from the front door.

Same angle set up.  We brought in many trees from Bunch Farms

Angle two- we needed to distract from the corner…

So we ‘covered’ it

Third angle…

…and the result.  We draped the corner, where the bar was placed-

Shot of the bar- we place B.I.O. screens in front of fabric and the camellias were gorgeous!!  We used Barbara’s copper ‘applebutter making kettle’ to hold ice- it was great and fit the feel perfect!!

One last angle…

You can see where we hung lattice in front of the staircase in which we used to hang seating cards!

Closer image of the seating cards

Cocktail hour- Chris followed through with the garden theme amazingly.

Oysters sat in a bird bath!!

Crab cake station that was the Barbara’s own recipe!!!  We just love the slate stone accents!  Chris can do anything!

Marinated shrimp cocktail shooters.

…and this was the best part- we came up with this idea and they loved it-we placed the cake in the church’s bird bath.  This was a huge hit!!!

   

Libby has a dairy allergy so Pastry Place created a non-dairy cake just for her, and we topped it with Libby’s parent’s cake topper from their wedding.

We created a little seating area lanterns, a bench and some river rock-

The couple gave lovely red maple trees as a favor for their guest to take home, plant and of course remember this event by!

 

Table shot- each setting had a beautiful irish linen hankie filled with candied pecans.

Coffee and tea station

29th Annual St. Andrew’s Bridal Showcase

Hello all future brides – it is that time of year again for the St. Andrew’s Bridal Showcase.

This bridal show is crazy big and crazy fun- you will see almost every kind of vendor that you may be looking for, but of course we would love for you to come by and see us!!!

We will have our booth set up with all sorts of ideas; come chat about how we can help the make your wedding everything you want it to be and the process less stressful as well as signing up for our fabulous giveaway.

Please come out and meet us Sunday, January 10, 2010 at the Cantey Building, State Fair Grounds from noon till 5pm.

Admission is $5

Here is the link to SAWC:  http://www.sawc-sc.org/bridalshowcase.htm

Hope to see you there!

And they lived happily ever after….

Talk about a fairytale!!!  Nicole and Kent wanted the wedding of the century…and man did they pull it off!

Nicole had lots of details to make her fairytale wedding yet keeping modern aspects included!  She was definitely a princess on her wedding day- so lovely.  They picked gorgeous rich colors of chocolate-brown, deep red and champagne.  They wanted very lavish details- lots of crystals, draped fabric and flowers, flowers, flowers!

The couple got married at Incarnation Lutheran Church- it was so lovely.  The left in a beautiful horse and carriage after being showered with thousands of rich red rose petals!

The reception was held the gorgeous Historic 701 Whaley Building.  The bride specifically wanted a unique sweetheart table set up so you will see below what was created- she came to me later and said it was her favorite part !!  We also incorporated a fun photo booth using a sexy bench!

The GORGEOUS, GORGEOUS flowers were created by the amazingly talented Scott Jones and team, American Floral.   The yummy cake was by Parkland Cakes-

We were so excited to get to work with Clark Berry Photography and Player Wedding Films once again- it is like working with family…a well oiled machine!

The food was fabulous and SO abundant….Blue Marlin Signature Catering did a fabulous job- thank you Kim and Ryan for all your hard work.  Your team was so great!

Great shot of the couple- this photo by Clark Berry

One shot of the room during set up.

Another angle- you can see the sweetheart table in the back.

Photo by Clark Berry

Looking back toward the front of the building.

You can see the lounge area taking shape, just not finished yet

One side of the lounge area.

Nicole and Kent gave out a variety of shot glasses as favors for their guest, and yes, they do read “…lived happily ever after!”

Close up of one of the amazing arrangements- you can see the beautiful hanging crystals.

Photo by Clark Berry

Shot of the cake and the sweetheart table!

Photo by Clark Berry

The photo booth and its great bench!

The stair case-

One final shot by Clark Berry

Music to your ears (and eyes)!

When I began working with music teacher, Jessica, I was so excited, especially about the color palette they decided on!  Very dramatic but extremely romantic!!!  Jessica and John wanted to have a little ‘vintage’ feel with a modern twist.  The colors were soft pink, deep pink, rich burgundy, steel grey and black!  It was so beautiful.

The couple married at St. Peter’s Catholic Church- the ceremony was so moving- the bride’s music students delighted guest as they entered and then serenaded Jessica as she walked down the aisle escorted by her brother.

Reception was at the fabulous Capital City Club!!  Pamela and her team were just perfect!!!  The food was show stopping and the view was picture perfect as always.  The couple added in that ‘modern touch’ with having an all black dance floor- it was so FABULOUS!  The colors worked perfect together – tables were dressed an assortment of romantic, soft, full roses in elegant silver vases and urns.  Other tables were topped with the beautiful silver candelabras and tons of pillar candles.  We placed votives all over Capital City Club.

The bride’s portrait was taken by Lonnie Hoke in the couple’s own historic home- it was exquisite…working with Hoke Photography was just wonderful!!!

The wedding cake was created by Vintage Bakery- the ‘lace icing pattern’ matched the bride’s gown and was dressed with a matching brooch that each bridesmaid wore….lovely!  The cake topper was the ’icing on the cake’ – they were hand-made dolls to resemble the bride and groom- they really were amazing.

And the two great finishing touches were the classic photo booth and massage chairs.  We had lines at each all night- Harriet and I even had to get in the photo booth

Below are seating cards

The bride’s gorgeous portrait in their own historic home.

One shot of the all black dance floor and sweet heart table.

Table shot.

One angel

Another angle

Lovely cake- just LOVE the cake topper!

The FUN photo booth!

Photo from the other end of the room.

I was able to grab one shot of Jessica and all her beautiful ladies!

Jessica taking a peak just before she went down the aisle.

First dance.

Night shot.

A guest getting a massage in the chair.

Shot of the bride’s bouqet and the cake topper

They could have danced all night….

We are sooo far behind so I am trying to catch up on the blog- keep watching over the next few days!

 

(This wedding and blog by planner Jill Areheart)

Nothing make me happier than when a bride and groom have a great time at their wedding.  Jennifer and Dominique wanted a stress-free wedding that was lots of fun for them and their guests, and it worked out to be exactly that!  My favorite part was that Jennifer enjoyed her reception so much she didn’t want to even eat because that would take away from her dancing time!

The day was filled with many special touches that were uniquely them, from the handmade sign Jennifer’s dad made to mark the ceremony entrance to their amazing photo guest book to the vintage Bel Air they make their getaway in.

The reception was at Mitchell House and Gardens in Lexington and they did a great job.  It was a bit chilly, but we were able to get two extra heaters at the last-minute so the guests weren’t TOO cool outside.  And there was the gorgeous (warm) house they could go in to.  Billy James with PartyTime did a great job as DJ.

The ceremony took place at St. Thomas More Catholic chapel right in the heart of USC’s campus.  The chapel itself is tucked away off the street, but with the sign Jennifer’s dad created, some white balloons out front and By Invitation Only’s Keith Marsh at the road directing parking, everyone found it just fine.

For the flowers, Jennifer wanted something a little different and a bit modern, and Leslie with Southern Stems did an amazing job, incorporating berries and thistle for the perfect touch of fall.  I am so mad that I didn’t get a picture of the bride’s bouquet but Leslie sent us one.  It was one of the prettiest I have ever seen.  But here are the wreaths on the doors at the chapel.

Close up of the entrance wreath.

Once the ceremony was underway, we moved the wreaths over to the Mitchell House and hung them on the gate entrances there.

And here’s the centerpiece from Southern Stems on the main food table.

I can not wait to see the professional photos from Ashley Brokop.  She did Jennifer’s bridal portrait and the couple’s photo guest book and they were both absolutely amazing!

The portrait of Jennifer:

And the guest book…

One of the best favors ever- packages of butter roasted, honey crisp and praline pecans from Young Plantations. YUM!

Group photo on the dance floor.

Jennifer’s stepfather taking her for a spin on his wheelchair.  I missed the shot of him dancing with Dominique and with Jennifer’s mom, but I know Ashley got some great ones!

A Vermont Wedding (in South Carolina)

Oh how BEAUTIFUL this wedding was – the couple, their families, their guests, the weather, this venue, the decor…. OH MY- the beauty!

Katie and Adam are so amazing- they had their wedding at the Callawassie Island Club in Okatie, South Carolina- originally from New Hampshire- they had the best of both worlds this weekend.  Their hearts hold Vermont and South Carolina very dear, so they brought Vermont here to the South for the most memorable day in their lives!

They specifically wanted a ‘Northwoods’ feel – but they added in fabulous personalized details.  Father of the bride made custom votive holders out of birch trees cut from their own home in New Hampshire.  The were so lovely.  We created centerpieces using rock salt in the base to carry our snow feel up the vase, cranberries, pine cones, iced birch branches, and added in white stock and tube rose florals to make it all come together.

Behind the sweetheart table and for the seating cards, we used a great variety of tree that perfectly fit the feel of our ‘Northwoods’.  Table names were all landmarks in Vermont  and each guest place setting was topped with a large South Carolina pine cone that held a ‘Thank you’ charm.

The amazing bouquets and bouts were created by Southern Stems, who sadly has now relocated to Atlanta, Georgia (lucky brides). The beautiful ‘birch tree’ wedding cake was created by Brown Sugar Custom Cakes.  Another Northern tradition they incorporated is the ‘home-made cookie bar’ .  Friends and family created delicious cookies for guests to take home as a lovely snack.

And one of my favorite touches….the martini luge!!!!!  This was a huge hit as always.  The couples last name begins with ‘L’ so as you will see, it was perfect- see below.

For a fabulous finishing touch, guests signed the couples snow board guest book – it was GREAT! 

We got to work with the wonderful photographers from Vermont, Daria Bishop Photography.  Lee Edwards of Lee Edwards Entertainment (Charleston) kept this great group dancing all night!!!  All of this took place at the phenomenal Callawassie Island Club in Okatie.  Holly and her staff were so AMAZING and I look forward to working with them again.  This venue was breathtaking and exquisite.

Very candid photos:

Inside shot during the day…

Another angle of the dining room…

One more angle- LOVE the beams…

Table shot- we also place custom made wood boxes around the room containing more branches to add that ‘feeling’ in.  You can sort of see it behind the arrnagement.  You can see the table names in the gold frame-

One of my favorite bouquets- I love the fiddlehead fern…

Another angle….

Close up onthe pine cone favors with the ‘Thank you’ charm.

I just loved doing this- seating cards hung, you can see the snow board in front of them for guest to sign.  We used tons of pine cones all around for accents…the adorable bears were a gift from the mother of the bride a few years ago for when her daughter married.

The famous cookie table- isn’t it just AMAZING!

I took a quick shot out of a window of the ceremony – the view was so beautiful and the weather matched it perfectly.

The ‘birch tree’ cake by Brown Sugar Custom Cakes.

A shot of the snow board guest book.

AND….the martini luge in the shape of “L’ and a heart!!!!

The fruit and cheese display in front the roaring fire

Their memory table for those that are not here!

And an attempt at an evening shot- it was so warm and romantic!!  I LOVE this look and feel.

And one last shot of the back pattio- through the window (sorry) before it was totally dark.